After hiking the Wild Wall (the non-rebuilt parts of the Great Wall) in late October 2017, our boys don’t seem to want to go back to the touristy, rebuilt sections. Something about the raw nature of the Wild Wall is so satisfying. A tonic to our urban-worn souls. And it called us back again and again.
Here are pictures from our first two hikes to Zhuangdaokou to Huanghuacheng north of Beijing:
The late Spring sojourn to the Wild Wall almost didn’t happen. The morning was mostly gone, the air quality not so good, the packing waiting to be done, but I felt pulled to take advantage of the little window of time before the craziness of the final push before our move from China took hold. The driver who was not available earlier in the day suddenly could take us. Clouds parted and the sun shone through. The air that was thick with PM 2.5, shrouding the far off jagged dragon back of a mountain range, shifted as storm clouds threatened in the distance.
The microscopic particle matter scattered, scared by thunder that rumbled closer and closer. Then drops hit our foreheads and arms, sprinkling welcome relief from the day’s heat. The hike that had been sweaty turned comfortable, fueling our turbo boost scramble up the steep incline of crumbling rock. We kept up the pace, trying to stay ahead of the storm, feeling it lick our heels as we crested the wall where a tower once stood proud, weather-beaten, battle-worn down to a humble knob.
On the other side, the raindrops disappeared, the temperature shifted, and the view revealed a birds eye view of the reservoir below, the damn a modern wall of stone holding back the calm yet powerful waters. The thunder still roared and rumbled from multiple directions, so our feet hurried along the steep descent. Hands gripped wall edges (wall walls?) and the littlest among us resorted to crab walking to keep from slipping and skidding down the crazy slope down to the street below from what felt like a ribbon across the sky.
Ah, unleashed from urban life on a wall that took great effort to build. Breath, smile, stretch, explore, pray, laugh, sweat, imagine we’re in another era, escape the crowds and pollution, humble ourselves in abundant nature. We thank you, Great Wall, for the many memories we’ll cherish from our Great Hikes. Xie Xie Chang Cheng!
Love All the World 